Vegan Carrot Cake Bars
Trying to find a guilt-free and delicious dessert that you can enjoy any time of the day? These are the Plant-Based Carrot Cake Bars you are looking for! Made with whole food ingredients and bursting with rich flavor and a vegan cream cheese frosting, these bars are perfect as a dessert, even a breakfast dessert! Follow along with this easy recipe and start indulging in these tasty treats today!
Ingredients
Bars
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ cup deglet dates
- ½ cup soy milk unsweetened, or plant based milk of your choice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups carrots shredded
- ½ cup walnuts
- ½ cup crushed pineapple
Frosting
- 1 cup cashews soaked for 2 hours
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup deglet dates
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Bars
- Blend the oats in the blender until it turns into flour.
- Add the oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice blend to a mixing bowl and stir well.
- Add the dates, soy milk and vanilla to a blender and blend until the dates are completely pulverized.
- Pour mixture into the mixing bowl with the flour along with the grated carrots, walnuts and pineapple and stir well.
- Spread mixture into a parchment lined 9 x 9 inch baking pan making sure to smooth the top.
- Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes.
- Let cool.
Frosting
- Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until it is smooth and creamy.
- Spoon mixture over and spread onto the cooled carrot bars.
- Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Nutrition
Calories: 234kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 6gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 133mgPotassium: 360mgFiber: 4gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 3625IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 80mgIron: 2mg
Hi Jill, have been following you now for a while, have tried a few recipes they all turned too good and perfect. Thanks for helping with wonderful recipes, highly appreciate your efforts. Am keen to try the carrot bars recipe, would the bars taste good without the frosting, as am looking to lower the calories.
They are still delicious even without the frosting. Enjoy =)
Looking forward to trying these out. I’m curious why you have started using deglet date instead of modules? I’ve noticed you’ve been doing it for a while. Thanks for all your great recipes
Deglets are considerably more affordable and they are available in almost any grocery store.
The recipe looks delicious! Can you use medjool dates?
Absolutely. Medjools are usually twice the size of deglets so you would use half the amount.
Could these be made into cupcakes? Would you change the cooking time?
I think that would work. I would check them at 25 minutes.
Hi Jill, this looks wonderful! Is there a possible sub for the pineapple? That seems like a pretty important ingredient but I’m allergic unfortunately. Thank you.
You can actually leave it out and it will still be ok.
I am on my journey for a plant based diet and the Carrot cake is lovely, found the frosting not sweet enough but then my taste buds may have not adjusted yet. I added a little extra vanilla extract. I will toast some walnuts for the top too.
Can u use vanilla powder instead of extract?
yes
I made this yummy cake from the recipe before watching your wonderful video. I realized later that you meant us to use 1 1/2 cups of shredded carrots, not 1 1/2 cups carrots, shredded, as per the written recipe. I’ll be making it again and will do it the way you did it in the video. One can never have too much cake!! Thank you so much for all you do for this community! I’m very grateful.
By the way I did a presentation on wfpb diets to my autoimmune support group. One guest asked about desserts. I pointed him to your site. It’s the best.
Could you clarify what you mean?
You: “use 1 1/2 cups of shredded carrots, not 1 1/2 cups carrots, shredded, as per the written recipe”
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 1/2 cups carrots, shredded
These are the same thing.
I can only assume that you’re saying that you thought she meant that you would take one and a half cups of carrots and then shred them. But if you know anything about cookbook writing, they have always customarily put the “style““ of the preceding ingredient, after the ingredient listed, following a comma.
Yes, it is 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots.
These carrot bars looks so moist in texture
Can these be frozen?
I haven’t tried freezing them but I think it would work.
Hi Jill,
Once again a great recipe to try from you!
I just wanted to know if I can remove Carrots and substitute with more Pineapple or else (same quantity?)
I know it wont be Carrot Cake anymore but we love Pineapple with my daughter so never enough ?
#FROSTING
Can U se Almond Milk instead of water?
Please let me know…
Many thanks
Henri ?
Jill, these were fantastic! I doubled the recipe and baked it in a 9×13 pan for a church brunch. I also added some raisins and did not frost them. They were a hit with the omnivorous crowd! I really loved the addition of the crushed pineapple–you really can’t taste it, but it adds sweetness and moisture.
Thanks for all your lovely recipes! I love watching your YouTube channel!
Is the crushed pineapple from a can? Or fresh?
Crushed from the can.
Jill I made this and love it!
Just wondering how you get your icing so white. Mine did not turn out white.
Also and tips on getting it creamier. I used a Vitamix after soaking the cashews for over 2 hours.
I think the icing comes out just slightly more white if you use deglet dates but also the filming lighting is so bright that it makes it appear whiter. Not sure why your Vitamix isn’t able to get make the icing smooth unless you are using roasted cashews possibly?
This is a delicious, not-too-sweet treat. Thank you so much for another wonderful recipe, Jill!